Stan and Jan Berenstain

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Stan and Jan Berenstain were American writers and illustrators best known for creating the children's book series The Berenstain Bears.

Stanley (Stan) Berenstain was born September 29, 1923, in a mainly Jewish neighborhood of west Philadelphia, and died of cancer on November 26, 2005, in Solebury Township, Pennsylvania. Jan Berenstain was born Janice Grant on July 26, 1923, in Philadelphia, and was raised in west Philadelphia and the suburb of Radnor. They met on their first day of class at the Philadelphia Museum School of Industrial Art in 1941 and married five years later, on April 13, 1946.

In an interview about the books, the Berenstains said that a big reason behind their inspiration was some of the difficulties parents faced, as well as some childhood tribulations when they were kids themselves. Their books evolved to include items such as cell phones and video game systems in the fictional Bear Country, which were nonexistent (or very limited), when the books were first commissioned. The Berenstains also noted there were some issues which seemed to appear in every generation, such as kids throwing tantrums in public places, which made important subject matters for their stories. However, they deliberately wanted to steer clear of overly heavy issues such as violence.

They produced together the comic strip Sister from 1953 through 1955. They published their first book featuring the Berenstain Bears in 1962 and with the help of then-head of children's publishing at Random House Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss) created a lasting franchise including many more books, television series, toys, and stage productions. Jan was inducted into Radnor High School's Hall of Fame on October 20, 2006.